Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Originally, Baroness was the one who dealt with this matter. Charlotte, however an adult, was also the only family member present.

She thought she had to step up because she knew the future.

She knew a little more about Carlisle Heinst.

She didn’t know how helpful she would be to know the contents of the original book, but it was still more advantageous to know even a little than not knowing anything.

Baroness Lania was no longer trying to stop the determined Charlotte. Instead, she smiled quietly as she saw Theo in the nanny’s arms.

“The baby guest must have been very surprised. I will have the chef to make a dessert that the child will like. I should tell the maids to prepare his room so that they get what a child might need later.”

“I already told them before I came to the backyard.”

Emma, who had gone to arrange the whole situation, came and informed her masters that the guest room was ready.

“Then I will go put him to bed. I think he needs to take a bath first, but I think it would be good for him to rest well first. I will prepare the bath after he wakes up.”

“Thank you, nanny. You have worked hard.”

“It would be my pleasure. I am happy to take care of a little child after a long time.”

The nanny said in a bright manner.

But Charlotte found her hands shaking slightly.

If anything went wrong with Theo, her life could have been in real danger.

In this situation, taking care of Theo would be quite burdensome, but the nanny didn’t show any sign of disapproval.

She was thankful to her nanny. She would give her a good present if this matter worked out well.

“I have something to do, so excuse me. Let me know if anything happens, nanny.”

“Yes, young miss.”

Charlotte gave Theo a glance and hurried to the mansion.

After entering her room, she sat down with the finest stationery and writing kits she had.

However, she couldn’t find herself writing the letter right away because of the pressure.

Even after a few deep breaths, she could barely lift a pen.

Her hands were shaking, but she managed to complete the letter without any problem and sealed the letter with wax seals.

Then, she quickly left the room after writing the sender and recipient on the envelope.

The recipient of the letter was, of course, Carlisle Heist.

“How was the investigation going?”

Charlotte asked Cedar, who was busily giving people instructions.

Cedar, who noticed her voice, turned around and tried to cover Charlotte’s eyes.

However, it was futile because a bloody body could be seen over his shoulder. Perhaps the bodies of the escorts and the assassin who tried to kill Theo.

How blood-stained it was and as the wind blew, it gave off a fishy smell of blood and an unfamiliar smell.

It was the smell of death.

Charlotte managed to hold back nausea and covered her nose.

Cedar, who noticed her face was distorted, quickly lead her back into the mansion.

The maid said they were making snacks for Theo, so the house smelled sweet.

Only then Charlotte breathed in and asked again.

“How’s the investigation going?”

Cedar replied as he looked at Charlotte’s face, taking off his bloody gloves and putting them in his pocket.

“We’ve recovered all the bodies. We searched in the forest in case there were any assassins left, but we couldn’t find anyone suspicious. I think it’s just the four people we found in the woods.”

“Is there really no more assassin?”

“Probably so. If there were any more left, they wouldn’t have kept young Duke alive.”

Cedar said with almost certainty, but Charlotte was still nervous.

‘But Theo is dead in the original.’

How Theo died was not described in the original book. There was no clue whether he was stabbed to death, strangled to death, or exhausted.

Charlotte didn’t know if there wasn’t a description about ut or if she simply couldn’t remember about it.

However, aside from it, it was clear that Theo had died at the hands of an assassin.

‘There’s no reason to die if it weren’t for the assassins.’

Theo was definitely walking toward the village when he met Charlotte. The nearby village wasn’t too far from where the child was, so it was possible.

If he were lucky, the villagers might have found the child as Charlotte did today.

Still, he could have died from a surprise attack by the remaining assassin. But the question remains, as Cedar said. If there were any assassins left, why would they have kept Theo alive without killing him? They couldn’t have changed his mind to let him live.

Charlotte continued to agonize over questions that couldn’t be solved in her head, and so did, Cedar, who was agonizing over the incident with a serious expression,.

Then Cedar opened his mouth again.

“But there is something strange.”

“What is it?”

“The cause of death of the escort is clear. There were many fatal wounds all over the body, so he died from bleeding, and there were long cuts in his body, penetrating the stomach.”

Cedar pretended to stab his stomach with his fingertips without realizing it.

Charlotte looked at him and made a slight frown. She was imaginative and could easily imagine the abdomen penetrated by the sword with that little gesture.

Cedar, who noticed her expression, quickly bowed his head, coughing in nervously.

“My apologies. I shouldn’t have told you the details.”

“It’s fine. So what is it?”

“I will be frank about it, then. The cause of the escort’s death is confirmed. But something is still unclear.”

“What do you mean it’s not clear?”

“Two out of four casualties definitely had fatal wounds. One has a big wound, but I don’t think it was fatal enough to be considered a cause of death. Still, it is possible to say that they died because of excessive bleeding, but the problem is the other one.”

(Cassiopeia Translations)

Charlotte swallowed her dry mouth without realizing it.

“There are no fatal injuries?”

Cedar nodded with a serious look.

“Yes, there are minor wounds, but they are not severe. I couldn’t say he died from that wound.”

“’What about the possibility of suffocation?”

“Not at all. There should be bruises on the neck or scratches, but I can’t find them at all.”

“What about poison? Is it possible the assassin hides poison in their mouth and when things get bad, they eat the poison and kill themselves?”

Charlotte said, barely clearing her mind as she turned pale.

“There’s no sign of that. And there’s no reason for the escort to kill himself when he’s already dead.”

“There are other possibilities. He’s got an internal injury. Or what if he fell and hit his head on a rock.”

Charlotte now murmured incoherently, with no idea what she was saying. She knew it was nonsense but she had no choice but to ask.

Death without cause of death.

She couldn’t believe it.

There must be something missing because forensic science here was not advanced compared to the modern one.

But Cedar flatly denied it.

“That wasn’t possible as well.”

Then, Cedar presented a new hypothesis that Charlotte had not thought of.

“ I think there was a magic trail around the scene.”

“If it was a magic trail, does it mean there was a sorcerer?”

“It was possible. I am not a sorcerer so I am not capable to prove it exactly, but I am sure there was a trail of mana scattered around.”

“If you thought so, there must have been someone who used magic.”

Knights who reached a certain level or higher could handle mana a little. The sword was covered with mana to increase durability and killing power, or to protect the body of the sword owner.

Cedar is humble, but Charlotte’s brothers acknowledged him, so if he felt that way, then it must be it.

The question is, who used the magic?

Did Theo have any other escort who knew how to use magic other than the dead escort? Then Theo wouldn’t have been left alone, so the hypothesis doesn’t make sense.

So did the dead escort write it? Well, that’s also impossible.

In one-to-many battles, magic is more advantageous, especially when there is something or someone to protect.

If the escort was a magician, he would have used magic from the beginning.

‘Then who the hell are they?’

Charlotte, who had been thinking for a while, soon gave up reasoning.

Under the current situation, no matter how hard she thought about it, she didn’t think she could get the answer.

“We don’t know if there’s a sorcerer involved in this, so please strengthen your patrol of the estate. And speaking of magic, what are you going to do with the escort and the assassin bodies?”

“I don’t know yet. But the weather is still warm, so if we don’t have a funeral soon…”

He hesitated at the end of his speech, but Charlotte understood right away.

That’s what she’s trying to say as well.

“We can’t hold the funeral of the escort as he was one of Heinst’s people. We also can’t dispose of the bodies of the assassins because we have to investigate more.”

“Then, go to the neighboring estate and call a sorcerer to cast a preservation spell.”

Unlike Charlotte, who seemed determined, Cedar laughed embarrassingly.

“But, miss, the cost of hiring sorcerers is expensive.”

“’I know, I know it’s expensive, and we don’t have enough money in our family right now. My father left the estate to find a way to pay off his debts.”

“…”

“There’s always a way, though.”

Charlotte opened the green velvet box she had brought from her room and showed it to Cedar.

What was in it was a set of sapphire ornaments that resembled Charlotte’s eyes’ color.